Archives for June, 2005

Learning to walk was a passion for my son Jimmy. He would sweat and struggle with it until finally he had it mastered—and then it was off to the races. My daughter Nora, by contrast, didn’t seem to mind not being able to walk. After all, if you didn’t walk, then some sweet grown-up would…

As every high-school senior knows, many colleges and universities take “racial diversity” into account when selecting students for admission. The practice is controversial, because it could mean that qualified students are denied admission, and those who are admitted must tolerate other students with a less rigorous academic background. The institutions often argue that their admissions…

When I was a kid, like most kids, I used to wait for my mom to be in a good mood before I asked her for something I wanted. I thought I was being pretty sophisticated—I understood that her decisions might be different if she was in a bad mood. However, I might not have…